Indie thriller Tether attaches itself to Steam Greenlight

Of all the possible horrors associated with being standed alone in space, it's perhaps the terrors of the mind that are the most dangerous. We'll find out soon enough whether that's true again in Tether, an indie sci-fi thriller from Freesphere Entertainment coming sometime next year.

Tether is set in "dilapidated science fiction" future in which the moon has been destroyed and Earth is dying from the natural disasters that ensue. The only hope for mankind's survival is colonization on a terraformed Mars, an undertaking driven by the newly-formed United Environmental Federation. Players control Lesleigh Hayes, a Biological Research Assistant for the UEF, on her "first deep space voyage to Mars." The trip will be far more eventful than she ever imagined, however. With her thoughts turning to the children she left behind, "as catastrophic events unfold on the UEF Sonne, Lesleigh is forced to survive the psychological horrors of isolation in deep space."

While gameplay specifics are fairly scarce at this point, the first trailer shows off the atmospheric 3D environments, in which the developers claim that "exploration and puzzle solving will be the main gameplay features driving the narrative forward throughout the game." Yet even as Lesleigh deals with the physical challenges around her, she must also grapple with her emotions as a mother, raising questions about the consequences of her choices and their impact on her children.

Currently in development for Windows, Mac and Linux for release sometime in 2017, it's possible the game may also support VR headsets at launch. In the meantime, you can vote for Tether on Steam Greenlight and visit the official website to learn more.